The EC announced 23/10/06 that political agreement by the Environment Council has been reached on a new EU Directive on air quality. The Directive on ambient air quality & cleaner air for Europe will streamline existing EU air quality legislation & for the first time regulate airborne concentrations of fine dust particles. It will also require Member States to reduce people's exposure to this group of particles by 20% between 2010-19. There are no plans to change existing air quality standards for the following pollutants but it is proposed that Member States will be given more flexibility in meeting some of the limits specified in zones where they faced difficulties: sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, lead, coarse particles, carbon monoxide, benzene & ground-level ozone. The Directive is expected to have its second reading under the co-decision procedure in the first half of 2007.
